Announcements

The AALITRA Review Special Issue 2024

 Exploring Indigenous Australian literature in other languages

Indigenous Australian literature started gaining international attention in the late 1970s, when works written by indigenous authors began to be translated into various languages (Čerče & Haag 2013), including English which often acted as a source text for translations into LOTEs (languages other than English). These works have played an important role in promoting and advocating for the rich culture and history of the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples. The AALITRA Review is launching a special issue to promote and celebrate the vibrant cultures, languages and traditions of indigenous Australian writers. For this special issue we invite contributions from translators and researchers who are interested in indigenous Australian literature (here, defined as any works written by indigenous Australian authors, either in English or in an indigenous language) and its translation, which include fiction, non-fiction, poetry, essays, and scholarly works which focus on the genre.

Types of contributions we accept include:   

  1. Translation from indigenous languages, or from English translations of such languages into other languages than English (LOTEs) with commentary, consisting of original translations into LOTEs of literary texts, including poetry, prose and theatre, accompanied by a critical introduction and commentary by the translator.
  2. Translation of works originally written in English by indigenous Australian writers with commentary, consisting of original translations into LOTEs of literary texts, including poetry, prose and theatre, accompanied by a critical introduction and commentary by the translator.
  3. Scholarly articles on the topic of translating indigenous Australian literature.
  4. Reviews of Translation Studies publications on the topic of indigenous Australian literature.
  5. Reviews of translations of indigenous Australian literature.

 

Submissions

Please first submit your EOI to either Hélène Jaccomard (helene.jaccomard@uwa.edu.au) or Eliza Nicoll (eliza.nicoll1@monash.edu) by 8 January 2024.

 

General information

The AALITRA Review uses double-blind review for articles and translation with commentary submitted for publication in the Special Issue. It is the author’s responsibility to obtain permission to reprint any quotations of more than 500 words of prose, or of more than two lines of poetry. If your submission is accepted, you may consider becoming a member of AALITRA for at least the calendar year in which your piece is to be published.

 

Key dates
Expressions of Interest (EOI): 8 January 2024 (EOI below)
Deadline for full submissions: 31 March 2024
Reviewers’ report: 30 June 2024
Final revised submissions: 31 August 2024
Expected publication date: 30 November 2024

 

Submission guidelines

Manuscripts should be submitted in Microsoft Word document format. Please use Times New Roman 12-point font, and indent new paragraphs (but do not leave a line gap between paragraphs). Use British / Australian spelling conventions, but with “z” rather than “s” (“civilization” not “civilisation”, but “analyse” rather than “analyze”). Use double rather than single quotation marks (but single quotation marks for quotes within quotes). Any quotes in languages other than English should either be translated in square brackets or glossed into English, for the benefit of readers unfamiliar with the language in question.

 

Translations with commentary

Translations into LOTE, usually no more than 6000 words in length in the English source text, should be accompanied by the translator’s commentary, generally of around 1000 words. The commentary should introduce and contextualize the text, and also explore some of the challenges of the translation process and discuss the translation strategies adopted. Translations are published in parallel text. It is the translator’s responsibility to obtain permission from the author / publisher of the source text to republish the piece in The AALITRA Review.

 

Articles

Scholarly articles should not normally exceed 6,000 words (excluding footnotes and references), though longer manuscripts may in some cases be considered. All articles should be accompanied by an abstract of 150-200 words. Correct referencing should be used throughout the article – please follow carefully the instructions below on notes, citations and bibliography.  

 

Reviews

We invite reviews of Translation Studies publications on the topic of indigenous Australian literature and its translation; and reviews of translations of literary texts from indigenous Australian literature. Reviews should normally be around 1000 words in length, though longer contributions may be considered, especially if they constitute a scholarly analysis of a selection of related texts. Reviews of literary translations should contextualize the text and its author within the source-culture literary system, and comment critically on the translation challenges the text presents, and how these have been tackled by the translator.

 

Notes, Citations and Bibliography

Footnotes should only be used for additional comments or explanations that cannot readily be absorbed into the main body of the article, and should be kept to a minimum. Please use the Modern Language Association (MLA) Style Guide and referencing system, https://guides.lib.monash.edu/citing-referencing/mla8. This link provides examples of in-text citations, indented quotations and bibliography.

 

For questions email Hélène Jaccomard (helene.jaccomard@uwa.edu.au) or Eliza Nicoll (eliza.nicoll1@monash.edu).

 

Please use the following links to Login or Register to make your submission. Ensure to indicate that the submission is for the special issue.

 

EOI form

  • The AALITRA Review Special Issue 2024

    2023-10-30

    Exploring Indigenous Australian literature in other languages

    Indigenous Australian literature started gaining international attention in the late 1970s, when works written by indigenous authors began to be translated into various languages (Čerče & Haag 2013), including English which often acted as a source text for translations into LOTEs (languages other than English). These works have played an important role in promoting and advocating for the rich culture and history of the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples. The AALITRA Review is launching a special issue to promote and celebrate the vibrant cultures, languages and traditions of indigenous Australian writers. For this special issue we invite contributions from translators and researchers who are interested in indigenous Australian literature (here, defined as any works written by indigenous Australian authors, either in English or in an indigenous language) and its translation, which include fiction, non-fiction, poetry, essays, and scholarly works which focus on the genre.

    Read more about The AALITRA Review Special Issue 2024